Harper our “Asshole of the Day!”

(Harper blowing a kiss to Benjamin Netanyahu!)

Stephen Harper is making a big splash over in Israel, and also makes it as our “Asshole of the Day.” folks.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned Monday of a new age of anti-Semitism, staking new ground in his allegiance to Israel by telling the country’s parliamentarians that those who oppose the Jewish state are little more than hateful anti-Semites.
(He forgot to mention the plight of the Palestinians ……………., but I’m sure the Left will do that for him!)

Throughout his speech, Harper looked back into history, touching not just on the Holocaust but Canada’s own refusal in the 1930s to help Jewish refugees, something he deemed a “terrible mistake.”

While criticism of Israeli government policy isn’t anti-Semitic, Harper said, criticism that targets only Israel while ignoring violence and oppression in its neighbours is unacceptable.

“It is, thus, a Canadian tradition to stand for what is principled and just, regardless of whether it is convenient or popular,” Harper said. “But, I would argue, support today for the Jewish state of Israel is more than a moral imperative. It is also of strategic importance, also a matter of our own, long-term interests.”
Harper said the forces that have threatened Israel “every single day of its existence” threaten all countries, “as 9-11 graphically showed us.”

Researchers conducted telephone interviews with 6,014 anglophone Canadians in the spring and fall of last year to track how technology usage was trending, including among those in the senior demographic, which was defined as 68 and older.

About 61 per cent of the 774 seniors polled said they owned a cellphone, compared to 87 per cent of the younger respondents.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, my Mother, who is 88 years old, not only has a cell phone ……………, but she has a computer as well!
(Although I do admit that it’s the old “wind-up” kind!)
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Of course, the fact you’re getting older might not make you very happy to begin with, but being old ……………, and a grouch, is not good for you, or anyone else around you!

The unhappiest people in the study were about 80 percent more likely to develop impairments in daily functions, compared with the happiest, according to the study published today (Jan. 20) in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

As expected, poor health was linked to lower levels of happiness: People with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, stroke and depression reported lower levels of enjoyment of life. (No shit -Ed!)
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Folks there is a blog called SNOPES.COM that de-bunks common urban myths, and this should once and for all show just what a bunch of lying, cheating, son-of-a-bitches some of the Republicans down in the United States are!Claim: Various critical statements (Mainly by the Republicans -Ed.) about the September 2012 terrorist attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya:

FALSE: Administration officials watched the attacks unfold in real time but did nothing to intervene.

FALSE: Requests issued by U.S. personnel for military back-up during the attacks were denied.

FALSE: General Carter Ham was relieved of his command for attempting to provide military assistance during the Benghazi attacks.

FALSE: Rear Admiral Charles M. Gaouette was relieved of his command for attempting to provide military assistance during the Benghazi attacks.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are reuniting for what is sure to be a memorable performance.

However, despite rumors, it will not be at this weekend’s Grammys.

The former Beatles bandmates will perform together at “The Night That Changed America: A Grammys Salute to The Beatles” on Monday, January 27, Ringo revealed to Access Hollywood on Monday night.
The special will air on CBS on February 9 — 50 years to the date of The Beatles’ historic performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
—————————————–AND FINALLY: Disturbing news out of Winnipeg this morning kids! (Apparently it’s a rather slow news day there, bunky!)

McIntosh points to some of the damage on the front bumper of his Suburban. (CBC)

It happened on a cold day in December when McIntosh was having trouble with his GMC Suburban sport-utility vehicle, a 1995 model with more than 200,000 km on the odometer.

When the vehicle wouldn’t start, he called Dr. Hook to get it off the Winnipeg street where it was parked because the City of Winnipeg would be sending snow plows around.

McIntosh paid by credit card over the phone and wasn’t present when the tow truck operator hauled it to a parking lot across town.
“I actually went there two days later to look at the vehicle and I noticed my front end was smashed up a little bit,” he said, referring to damage on the bumper and the front grill.
McIntosh filed a claim with Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) and an adjuster estimated the damage at $1,500.

Was told ‘everything went well’

McIntosh said he phoned Dr. Hook and talked to a manager about the damage.
“He said the truck was loaded fine, everything went well and the driver said there were no hiccups, no problems, and there was no way my truck could’ve been damaged,” McIntosh explained.
The vehicle was towed from a street on the south side of the city and dropped at a parking lot operated by McIntosh’s friend.“So that’s when I asked my friend for the security footage,” McIntosh said, referring to his friend at the business where the vehicle was delivered.The video shows the tow truck’s flatbed backing into the Suburban, followed by the tow truck driver getting out and briefly looking at the other vehicle before getting back into the truck and driving away.“I don’t know what to think,” said McIntosh. “He [the driver] could’ve called me, he could’ve told Dr. Hook something. But instead he just chose to drive away, and I guess he didn’t know there were cameras pointed at him.”“I feel satisfied I guess because I found out how my truck was damaged,” McIntosh added.“You never know where there’s security cameras. And I’m really lucky in my case because they would’ve kept denying it and I would’ve had no proof.”

Tow truck driver put on probation

The owner of Dr. Hook Towing Services, Nick Roscoe, told CBC News it was a case of driver error on the part of his employee.“These things happen,” said Roscoe.​“The driver’s accepted responsibility for the damages and a note’s been put in his file, and he’s been put on probation relative to driving with due care and caution. And that’s all we can do about it.”“Accidents happen,” Roscoe added. “It’s not something that happens all the time, but it does happen.”

(In this security camera image, the tow truck driver, right, can be seen briefly looking at the other vehicle before getting back into his truck and driving away!)

Roscoe acknowledged that there was “involvement with one of our employees that hit his vehicle and asked him to forward his claim to MPI.”

“We’re responsible for the deductible and the owner should not have any charges against them on their license or their insurance premiums,” he said.

McIntosh’s deductible was $300.

Roscoe said he did not personally watch the security camera video, nor did he speak to the employee. That was left to a manager at Dr. Hook.When asked whether he thought the driver would have acknowledged the accident without the existence of security camera video, Roscoe said he had no opinion. “He wasn’t aware that he had caused damage,” Roscoe said of the driver. “We don’t know that this was intentional or neglectful or on purpose. It appears to be an accident.
“There was a collision, the driver was asked about it. He said he wasn’t aware of it. There was information that came forward and he was made aware of it,” Roscoe added.

No refund on towing fee

The towing company stopped short of granting McIntosh a refund on his towing fee.
“I asked for my towing fee back and they refused,” McIntosh said.“They never even apologized for any inconveniences. All they said was, ‘You’re really lucky you’ve got the tape.’”Said Roscoe, “If we refunded that, that basically means that we didn’t have any kind of service agreement with the customer. And if the tow is paid for, we did the job.”
He added, “Unfortunately he might not be totally satisfied, but sometimes that’s not entirely possible to satisfy every human being, but I believe we’ve done our due diligence here.”Dr. Hook is contracted by Winnipeg Police Service and the City of Winnipeg’s snow-clearing operations to provide towing services.
MPI says it receives about 80 claims a year in which tow truck operators are at fault — whether it involves Dr. Hook or other companies.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/security-camera-catches-tow-truck-hitting-customer-s-vehicle-1.2504489?cmp=rss